


christmas in the countryside

by nectarwrites



Series: hannigram country AU [3]
Category: Charlie Countryman (2013), Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Humor, Jealous Hannibal Lecter, Light Angst, M/M, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:47:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27593653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nectarwrites/pseuds/nectarwrites
Summary: “What? He’s going to be raising hell here for that long?” Hannibal liked to think of himself as a calm individual due to the years of practicing keeping his emotions in check on the rare occasion he felt them. Yet, panic and dread flooded his veins at the idea of Nigel staying with them for any amount of time.“He’s not going to raise hell, Hannibal. He seems like a sweetheart who’s rough around the edges.” Will sounded innocent but his eyes coldly stared at him, daring him to disagree with the verdict.Hannibal’s eye twitched and he sighed in defeat. “Then I guess Satan’s on vacation until New Year’s.”Will smiled up at his lover, comforted by the knowledge he’d be on his best behavior.Alternatively, Hannibal's hidden twin drops in for a surprise Christmas visit.
Relationships: Will Graham/ Hannibal Lecter
Series: hannigram country AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1827718
Comments: 9
Kudos: 103





	1. Chapter 1

Will lowly hummed, wrapping the last of his presents for Hannibal while the record player filled the living room with Frank Sinatra. Bodhi’s barking broke through Will’s deep concentration and the young man chuckled, following his loyal companion to the front door with a small grin on his face at the thought of Hannibal coming home early. 

“Hey b— What the fuck is that?” Will’s eyes widened at the newly inked risqué girl on his lover’s neck, his gaze slowly moving upwards to Hannibal’s slightly less wrinkled face and strangely long hair. “What the fuck?” He repeated, utterly lost at his boyfriend’s new look.

An unusual shit-eating grin split Hannibal’s amused face. “Language, young man. You know, I never pictured Hanni to be into the likes of you but I ain’t fucking complaining,” the Hannibal lookalike teased.

“If you’re not Hannibal, then who the fuck are you?” Because Will knew. He just knew that his transparent partner would never hide the fact that he had another sibling. 

The older man raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know? Well, if it isn’t obvious, I’m Nigel Lecter, Hannibal’s twin brother at your service.” He looked Will up and down and licked his lips. “I must say it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Will stared, dumbfounded. His hand massaged small circles into his forehead as he stepped aside to let Nigel in because God forbid he also hold an extreme disdain for rudeness, even if he didn’t appear as pretentious and proper as his twin.

“I think there’s still some leftover apple cider donuts and sweet tea from last night.”

*

Hannibal swung off Dorian—the snow-white Arabian that Will had bought him a few weeks ago and led him into the stable. Mentally noting to shovel the snow piling up around the stable, he made his way to the house with his bag of goods. A smile appeared on his face at the mental image of sharing the leftover apple cider donuts with his darling Will while cuddling in front of the fireplace. 

Irritation seeped through the cracks of his happily conjured picture as Hannibal took in the sight of Will laughing with his troublesome twin brother over an empty platter that suspiciously smelt like caramel and apple cider donuts. 

“What is this?” 

Will took Hannibal’s dark red overcoat and bag, then planted a kiss on his lips. “Your darling brother came to pay us a visit for Christmas. You know, the twin that you never told me about? Yeah, that one.”

“Mylimasis—” Hannibal reached for Will’s hand, only for the younger man to jerk it back.

“Don’t  _ mylimasis  _ me, okay?” Will stomped upstairs. Nigel chuckled at the sound of a door slamming. 

“You haven’t even been here for an hour and you’re ruining things already. You must be aiming to break a record, dear brother.” Hannibal calmly took Will’s place at the dining table, mentally counting to ten as his body seethed with anger.

“Well, fucking hello to you too, Hanni. I think it’s your secret-keeping that’s ruining things instead of me,” Nigel pointed out, a teasing smile dancing on his lips. “Maybe you should go talk to him. I hear good communication skills keep a relationship thriving and healthy.”

Hannibal huffed. “And you lack said skills. Maybe that’s why your ex-wife left you for an American, then let you get shot in the head.” 

The Romanian’s eyes rolled skyward. “At least she didn’t push me off a cliff.”

“That was us consummating our bond.”

“Whatever you say. Don’t give me a 101 on courting methods for psychos. Just go talk to my brother-in-law.”

If Hannibal was a lesser man, he would’ve choked on his tea but besides an eye flinch his composure remained calm and collected. “We’re not married.” The  _ yet  _ silently hung in the air but both brothers heard it clear as day.

Nigel gave his twin an unimpressed look. “Then you better go talk to him before I pull a Charlie and make him mine.” 

Hannibal growled but he ignored his brother’s gibe and headed towards the staircase before pausing. “I hope you didn’t unpack since you’re leaving tonight.”

“No, I’m not.”

Hannibal’s face said otherwise.

“Throw a hissy fit if you want but your little boyfriend wants me here.” Nigel kicked his legs onto the kitchen table, then crossed them and lit up a cigarette.

Hannibal took slow, hesitant steps to his and Will’s bedroom in the manner of a child dragging out the walk to their mother’s room when they know they’re in trouble.

However, the sight of Will laying on the side of the bed that faced away from the door, staring dejectedly out the window at the falling snow punched the warm, pulsing void in Hannibal’s chest.

Hannibal turned Will over to face him. “Mylimasis, I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you that I had a brother. I d—”

“I don’t care about that!” Will smacked Hannibal with a pillow then returned to face the window.

“I refuse to talk to your back, dar—”

  
“Why don’t you trust me?” 

“What? Mano drugelis, I trust you with my life. How could you even fathom that?”

“Every single time I think that I know everything there is to know about you a bombshell gets dropped on me! And it’s not you hiding another sibling that pisses me off but when you hide stuff like this it makes me wonder what else you’re hiding.”

Hannibal frowned at Will’s hunched over posture, then sat next to him and pulled him into his lap. Will wiggled in his arms but Hannibal’s grip tightened, ceasing the younger man’s movement. 

“We haven’t seen each other in a long time and barely correspond. I didn’t tell you about him because he’s almost a non-factor in my life. I promise you that you do know everything about me and I’m not in the business of making promises that I can’t keep.”

Will sniffled and nodded, curling in closer to Hannibal’s chest. “I believe you. Sorry for overreacting.”

“You didn’t overreact, it was an understandable reaction. Especially when he showed up unannounced. However, he will be gone tonight.”

Hannibal almost whined at Will’s head popping up from the crook of his neck. “What? No. I told him he could stay for Christmas and New Year’s.”

“What? He’s going to be raising hell here for that long?” Hannibal liked to think of himself as a calm individual due to the years of practicing keeping his emotions in check on the rare occasion he felt them. Yet, panic and dread flooded his veins at the idea of Nigel staying with them for any amount of time.

“He’s not going to raise hell, Hannibal. He seems like a sweetheart who’s rough around the edges.” Will sounded innocent but his eyes coldly stared at him, daring him to disagree with the verdict.

Hannibal’s eye twitched and he sighed in defeat. “Then I guess Satan’s on vacation until New Year’s.”

Will smiled up at his lover, comforted by the knowledge he’d be on his best behavior.

  
  



	2. Chapter 2

He was wrong. Oh good Lord, was he wrong.

Initially, Will thought the idea of Hannibal reuniting with his estranged twin would bring extra holiday joy and cheer to the farm but that optimistic thought was a million light-years away from the truth.

He had become accustomed to the smell of black coffee, eggs, and sausage alongside Bodhi’s barking causing him to wake up to an empty bed save for their kitten. He’d lounge in bed and enjoy a hot shower, then make his way to the kitchen where he’d share a mostly quiet breakfast with Hannibal.

Until Nigel Lecter. Now, the sound of Romanian curses and screams woke Will up before the smell of cigarettes could. Bodhi made the wise decision of not wanting to be involved in the chaos in favor of curling up next to the former profiler. He’d jump out of bed and hurry to Hannibal who’d be holding a chef’s knife against his brother’s jugular. The Romanian encouraging his death, daring Hannibal to finish what he started. Like clockwork, Will talked Hannibal out of murdering his brother. The former profiler quickly but begrudgingly became used to his new mornings.

But when he woke up alone like usual to an unusual silence he knew something was eerily wrong. The hairs on his neck stood guard as he crept into the dead quiet kitchen with a gun in his hand. His jaw dropped at the sight of Nigel reading something on Hannibal’s iPad at the dining table while his paramour bustled around the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on their breakfast. Will sighed in relief, clicking the safety on his gun before placing the weapon on the counter. Hannibal raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled. 

“It’s not funny when I wake up every day to the sight of you holding a knife against your brother’s jugular.”

Nigel huffed in laughter. “See, Will, when you wake up to that it shouldn’t be surprising that Hannibal didn’t hesitate to slice your stomach open and leave you bleeding out on the floor so he could run away with that pretty blonde.” 

Bodhi’s whine filled the fleeting silence and Will reached for his gun but Hannibal quickly broke out of shock’s grasp and already had his chef’s knife on Nigel’s jugular.

“You c—”

“Help me hide the body or visit me in prison. Either way, he’s dead.”

Will inwardly groaned. “I swear to God if you hurt or kill him I’m leaving.”

A smirk formed on Nigel’s face. “Hurt me, Hanni, then I can snatch him up for myself.”

The former profiler rolled his eyes and jabbed Hannibal’s side, causing the knife to fall out of his hand. The sight of Hannibal snarling caused unease to creep into Will’s veins as he’d never witnessed his lover act so unhinged since that night. He whispered warm reassurances and sweet nothings into the older man’s ear, leading him to their bedroom so he could cool off by lying down. Then Will went back to Nigel who had resumed his reading while a cigarette dangled from his lips. He put up the unfinished breakfast and turned towards the Romanian troublemaker.

“Would you mind coming with me to town? I need to pick up some items but we can have breakfast while we’re there.”

Nigel heartily chuckled. “Sounds like a fucking date to me. Lead the way, darling but we’re taking my bike.”

The man was out the door before Will could correct him.

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Will scooped up the last of his poached eggs, Nigel’s dark laughter breaking his attention toward the bustling people.

“What’s so funny?”

“Ah, nothing much. Just remembering the time I nearly killed a man last time I was sitting outside a café like this.”

“I see murder runs in the family.”

Nigel snickered, lighting up a cigarette. “Don’t get me wrong. I don’t enjoy it but I’m not averse to it. If a motherfucker needs to be ended, then I end him. It’s a normal part of the line of work I’m in.”

Will hummed, nodding his understanding. “You don’t eat them.” Laughter bubbled from his lips only to fade at Nigel’s confused look.

“Will, what the fuck?” The Romanian burst out laughing, wiping tears out of his eyes. “Where the hell did you get the idea of eating them?” 

Will blankly stared. “Hannibal?” His head tilted sideways. Surely, Nigel knew that his brother was both Il Mostro and the Chesapeake Ripper. Although jokes weren’t really funny after explaining them, Will shrugged and decided to remind his companion. “He eats them.” 

Nigel gagged and scrunched his lips. “Shit, I didn’t know that he eats them but at least he makes your food from actual animals.”   
  


“What? No, he serves his kills to everyone but doesn’t tell them where the meat truly came from.”

The ex-profiler raised an eyebrow at Nigel’s appalled face. “You mean to tell me… that my sicko of a brother has been feeding me—” He tapered off, waving a fork between himself and Will.

“Yes.”

Nigel dropped his fork and threw a wad of cash on the table, pulling Will to his feet. “C’mon, înger, let’s buy your shit before I lose mine.”

“Sounds like a plan. Afterwards, I need you to help me practice something really important.”

*

Sounds of laughter echoed in the bedroom. Hannibal groaned, rolling out of bed to observe what chaos his brother was engaging Will in. He strolled in the living room, a remark sitting on his tongue.

Then his heart sputtered as the breath left his lungs.

His mylimasis on one knee holding a ring. 

“...My only one. My eclipsed sun. My twisted knife and winless fight. Will you marry me?”

Hannibal sucked in a shaky breath as two pairs of eyes met his. He pushed past them, ignoring Nigel’s smirking face and Will’s begging.

He collapsed against a hay bale in the barn. An ocean of tears and sobs shook his body. After all of what they've been through, how could Will do this? And with his own twin?

His sobs died down as manic laughter bubbled out of his quivering lips. Hannibal guessed that betrayal and heartbreak would always be their fairytale. He quieted down and curled against the hay bale, willing himself to sleep.

“Hannibal! Hannibal, baby, are you in here? Let me explain!”

A loud sniffle answered Will.

“Han— oh, baby, come here.” Will pulled his chilled, pilant body into his warm embrace. 

Hannibal would be satisfied to spend the rest of his days and die in Will’s arms even though Will didn’t love him.

Will shushed his frantic mumbling. “You’re wrong. I do love you. More than anything and anyone in this life and the next.”

The older man rubbed his head against Will’s chest and sighed. “Then why Nigel?”

“I wasn’t proposing to him. I was practicing for you because I want my proposal to be perfect ‘cause you deserve it. But it seems all I do is hurt you.”

“No, you love me too. We’re mirrors of each other in the way we hurt and love.”

Will nodded and sagged against the hay bale, pulling Hannibal closer before pressing kisses all over his face. 

A few beats of silence passed. 

“Can you do it again? I didn’t hear everything.”

“Now? Laying on a dusty barn floor is hardly a romantic setting.”

“True. But proposing in this moment of forgiveness is very telling of our story, don’t you think so?”

“Fine but don’t expect much. It's not very poetic.” Will took a deep breath and turned his gaze from Hannibal to the horses. “Although we have shared many memorable moments. The one that stands out in my head the most was us standing on the cliffside. We were dead quiet but I screamed on the inside ‘give me a reason’. My best laid plans fall to pieces at your sleight of hand. My only one, my smoking gun, my eclipsed sun, my twisted knife, my sleepless night and winless fight. You have beaten my heart and no other sadness in the world would do. Hannibal Lecter, my kingdom come, will you join me in tying the thread of gold by marrying me?” 

Hannibal Lecter was speechless for the first time in his life. He pushed will over and frantically murmured “yes” over and over while plastering Will’s face and neck in kisses. When cold gold touched his skin, he felt like he’d burst from happiness into tears.

“I love you, Dr. Graham-Lecter.”

“As do I, Mr. Graham-Lecter. More than you’ll ever know.”

  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> let's pretend like I haven't been working on this story on and off for the longest amount of time lol.
> 
> *I FORGOT to mention that Will’s proposal is derived from Taylor Swift’s lovely “hoax”


End file.
